OMG Y AM U A BANDIT??? tactical breathing, stress, condition grey and verisimilitude

[not interested 0]

I've played over 300 hours worth of BF3 and got literally thousands of kills. I recall very few of them specifically and almost none with any level of excitement; even up close knife kills are pretty hum drum in hindsight.

I've killed 30 - 40 players in Day Z and, save for the sniper trolling in Cherno, everyone one of those kills has been a heart pounding experience with a distinct narrative that makes them incredibly easy to recall.

The amount of times i've had to stop stalking someone and BREATHE, actually employ tactical breathing techniques IRL because I can feel my heart smashing into my ribs, is incredible.

I think what allows this immersion to occur is the fraility of the experience. Day Z is not so much a Zombie Survival piece as an ultra marathon sim. But that time and space adds tremendous value to making risky decisions; you've just poured 9 hours into getting kitted out in elite tier weapons and items, survived a few close calls and probably ruined a few people's day, is creating more uncertainity worth it at this point?

The answer is always yes >:D

Hunting Zombies. Who cares? You can never kill them, they don't die or go away, they just come back. They're an environmental hazard, like radiation. You don't defeat them; you manage them.

This is what I can't understand about "survivors". What's the point? You're fighting a war you can't win against an enemy that has no agenda. Yeah zombies will hurt you but there's nothing behind that behaviour and there are no real rewards in taking them down. Killing other players, even if I don't loot a useful item I get a really unique opportunity to stress myself, to access a physical and mental state that is usually reserved for true high risk activities.

The only other place personally that i've experienced that type of elevated experience is in genuine violent physical confrontations. That says a lot that a video game can pull out that response! And it's useful too; if you can get that response in a safe environment and learn to manage it and bring your arousal (tehe arousal) to the sweet spot of heightened awareness without losing co-ordination, then if you ever ARE in a dangerous situation, you won't freeze up.

And that is why I'm a bandit.

TL:DR Bandits learn to control aspects of genuine combat stress, survivors shoot paper targets.

[flevius 1]

This is what I can't understand about "survivors". What's the point? You're fighting a war you can't win against an enemy that has no agenda. Yeah zombies will hurt you but there's nothing behind that behaviour and there are no real rewards in taking them down. Killing other players' date=' even if I don't loot a useful item I get a really unique opportunity to stress myself, to access a physical and mental state that is usually reserved for true high risk activities.

[/quote']

You probably won't understand this, but surviving against hopeless odds for as long as you can is a rewarding experience on its own. You get that unique opportunity to stress yourself when you kill someone, but survivors get that same level of stress when they're forced to fight or try to sneak away, with the added stress of trying to initiate contact with someone who very likely is going to shoot them in the face, or sneak away without getting shot in the ass. Sneaking away is a lot tougher and more stressful than killing on sight, because you have the constant threat that you've been spotted and are being stalked.

Bandits are part of the environment you have to survive in. There's nothing behind their behavior but mindless killing, but they make the surviving experience that much more challenging and fun and frustrating. They THINK they're getting to play the game how they want to play it, but really they've been tricked into making the survivor game better.

[WildGunsTomcat 78]

This is as much a zombie game as I am a Chinese commercial jet pilot named Flai Lo.

The zombies are retarded and simple to avoid.

I hunt other players because it's a challenge.

That's why I'm a bandit.

/thread

[Molten 0]

Bandits are an environmental hazard, like radiation. You don't defeat them, you manage them.

Taking tactical decisions, rather than just pulling the trigger everytime is what keeps my heart pounding time and time again.

That's why I only shoot in self defence.

[MercianUK 1]

A very interesting read, and a point well argued. Thanks!

At the moment I'm just surviving with my crossbow and tools, gathering loot and gear and working out a longer-term game plan. Can I see myself getting bored of this? Of course.

As you've said, the bandit route is a viable option for enhanced rewards from the game. However another equally challenging alternative might be for me to return to the coast having completed my saga up north and attempt to coach new players and fresh spawns and guide them up north and protect them from bandit activity.

Counter-sniping bandits around Cherno/Elektro might be another option but what's to stop being counter-sniped by another counter-sniper? Maybe this one isn't the best call :P

All of my effort in-game at the moment is going into personal situational awareness and survival - and primarily trying to avoid armed players at all costs. Getting to the stage where I can afford to avoid those risks but putting myself back through them for the sake of helping another player sounds like a lot of fun.

[vytautasphn@gmail.com 1]

The game needs both in due moderation. I see nothing wrong with bandits. I see something wrong with the mentally ill people who stalk the starting areas with their sniper and assault rifles who just enjoy ruining someone's day without the challenge or thrill.

Now when you meet a genuine survivor or bandit who is armed to the teeth and out hunting or looting, that's where the thrill is. The bandit has to be careful enough not to alert the survivor and die whereas the survivor will want to be careful as he is playing for survival instead of a simple FPS with zombies in the mix.

Sure zombies need tweaking but alpha is alpha. The problems right now are the people who go around killing others on sight and call it a "challenge" when there is none to be found. However they must exist. For the survivors do need a challenge and who else to provide it but some bandits that can't sit still with a gun in hand and a player in sight for fear of dropping back into CoD or BF3 (not that there is anything wrong with the games).

That is my opinion though. You are free not to care as I am free to express it and not give a damn about the response as it is just as meaningless :D

[MercianUK 1]

Bandits are an environmental hazard' date=' like radiation. You don't defeat them, you manage them.

Taking tactical decisions, rather than just pulling the trigger everytime is what keeps my heart pounding time and time again.

That's why I only shoot in self defence.

[/quote']

Exactly this. Well said.

I don't see the appeal in watching a loot spot and picking targets off with a DMR as they get close, but I get a hell of a lot more enjoyment out of the game thanks to thinking there's constantly someone in the tree-line who's watching trying to do exactly that!

And credit to the bloke who was mentioned in one of the other threads on here who was stalking a spawn area with a hatchet saying "hatchet's gonna getcha" over direct comms. That's absolutely brilliant.

[AcucracK 0]

I'm with a group of three, we are running low on medical supplies and are out of morphine. One person in the group gets a broken leg. We are all communicating verbally via vent. Those of us with two functioning legs then make a raid on a hospital in the pitch black dark. My heart was racing a number of times during this experience. We eventually successfully raided the hospital and returned to our downed group member and injected some good old morphine into his body.

This is just one of many of my personal experiences working with a group of survivors. The adrenalin pumps through my veins, and I get those same "feelings" you're describing while you hunt us down.

Another time, one of my survival mates was murdered south of my location. He told us of his last known location via vent and we hunted down the bandit. He actually did the good old "log out and log back in" trick, but after he spawned back in, he crept up slowly next to me and then was crouched about 3 feet in front of my character. I was prone under a tree limb, and put 3 AKM rounds through his upper body. Pure bliss.

[SLASH-7 27]

I'm a survivor who doesn't actively seek out and destroy. If we cross paths directly I will avoid as much as possible and engage if needed. People like you are why I keep playing this game. I 100% agree with your post and your methods of gameplay. Keep keepin' it interesting bandits.

[Molten 0]

Just another point.

Don't confuse survivors with carebears. Most of us will cut your nuts off with a hatchet in a heartbeat if your a direct threat.

But we take tactical decisions seriously. And the first rule of surviving is avoid conflict if possible.

You could get a nasty graze or a cut.

Most of time we are watching you. As we recon areas before moving in. If we choose to do so we could shoot first and end your day but it's not the game we play.

This game needs both players. As the hunter needs a rabbit. Who is the hunter and who is the rabbit is a matter of perspective.

[MercianUK 1]

If we choose to do so we could shoot first and end your day but it's not the game we play.

This game needs both players. As the hunter needs a rabbit. Who is the hunter and who is the rabbit is a matter of perspective.

Jesus, I'd be seriously scared of your rabbits!